The Legendary Programming Mage

Inside the administrative office, the main professors of the academy sat around a round table, staring at me.

Professor Vanitas Caster scrolled through his tablet before locking eyes with me. "Allen Vanderbilt, right?"

That's what I just said.

I nodded. "Yes, sir. Allen, at your service."

He exhaled deeply. "Cadet, do you know why we called you here?"

"No," I replied plainly.

"Can you make a guess?"

"No," I answered again.

Vanitas's eyebrow twitched. "Why can't you make a simple guess?"

I could easily tell him it was because I didn't understand the context of the whole situation.

It was definitely not to commend me for saving Alex, so I had no other guesses.

"I can't begin to grasp your intellect, professor."

The white-haired man clenched his jaw. "You're a real troublemaker."

He tapped his finger against the table and turned to an old professor. "You were the one who wanted him, old man, so speak."

The old man, who had been dozing off, opened his eyes sluggishly. "Don't talk to your elders like that, Vanitas. I might just die."

With a lazy stretch, he looked at me. "Oh, when did the princess arrive?"

Why is everyone calling me princess?

'I might cut my hair after this.'

The old man suddenly smirked, making me shiver. "Allen Vanderbilt..."

He paused, letting his words linger.

"I was watching your match yesterday, and I noticed something..." He turned a page of the document in front of him. "You were trying to leave Alex behind, weren't you?"

'Is this why they called me?'

It made sense if it was.

However, this wasn't an academy for heroes. This was where hunters were trained, a world of brutality.

I didn't waver from where I stood. "Yes, I was."

The old man stroked his white beard. "Oh."

His smirk widened. "Does that mean even though you weren't sure if there was a path for Alex to escape, or for the teachers to save him, you still abandoned him?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

The old man's gaze suddenly darkened. "He was your teammate."

Shaking my head, I replied, "Firstly, sir, he wasn't my teammate but a competitor. And I am not to be blamed for his incompetence or lack of strength."

The old man's eyes narrowed, as if expecting more from me, but I stayed silent.

He wasn't fooling me.

Old crooks like this were the worst kind of people to deal with.

Sylvia's father was another example of that.

Professor Vanitas's expression didn't change throughout the entire exchange. "Are you saying if you knew he would surely die, you wouldn't save him because he was your competitor?"

"Yes, I wouldn't."

The young professor didn't seem pleased with my answer but restrained himself. "So what then? Did your humanity stop you?"

I almost laughed at that one.

Humanity?

I, Allen Park, caring about things like my humanity?

No. I had long since learned there was no such thing as humanity.

Those who use such words are always the worst of the worst.

They are the ones who kill for selfish reasons or discriminate against other humans for convenience's sake.

The word humanity is a tool used by hypocrites.

I let out a faint smile. "No. It was nothing like that."

"Then why—"

I didn't even register the professor's words as I continued. "It's because of my ego, sir."

My smile softened.

Previously, I hadn't known exactly why I saved Alex yesterday.

But after thinking it through last night and running different scenarios in my head, I came up with the answer.

"If I were to become petty because of an ant, wouldn't that make me less of a man?"

All the professors' mouths dropped open at my words, but none spoke.

This was a world where geniuses rose every day. It wasn't strange for someone at the top to say something like that.

Some might agree, while others might not, but most knew that in life, the kind-hearted die early.

The old professor burst into laughter as he slammed the table as hard as he could.

"Damn right, kid." He grinned. "In this world, those at the top can't worry about everything beneath us. That's how it goes."

He leaned in closer, and for a moment, I caught a flicker of… insanity.

"Keep those who are strong close to you, because in the dungeon there are no allies, only pain and suffering. Only the best will prevail, so discard those unnecessary emotions and embrace the path of madness."

I stared at the man with wide eyes.

What the hell is he even saying?

'Sounds like some cliché villain speech.'

However, I nodded and smirked.

'Better to curry his favor.'

All the professors watched as I grinned too, unable to understand what was going on between me and the old man.

Well, on my side nothing was happening, but I couldn't say the same for the old man.

Professor Vanitas, seated at the center, waved his hand. "Since that's settled, you may leave, cadet."

I bowed and left the room without turning back.

Even as I walked away, I could still feel the old man's eyes fixed on me.

With a soft click of the door, I left the room and quickly exited the building.

I was definitely not into creepy men.

Since the meeting was over, there was no need to linger, so I left the area and headed for the library.

I already had a rough layout of the academy from both the novel and the internet, but I needed to know about a specific area.

The place where that thing was located.

The library for first years was a building beside the main academy structure.

It was a tall skyscraper with a boxy design, though there was nothing remarkable about it.

The moment I entered, I was greeted by the same massive hall every building seemed to have.

The library was divided into three sections:

E-Library, System Library, and Traditional Library.

It was the Traditional Library I was heading to, but first I had to leave the library and visit the barber's shop.

Yes, I completely forgot I wanted to cut my hair.

And as I walked back to the building, all eyes seemed to lock directly on me.

It was normal for that to happen, but it somehow felt different this time.

Some people even bumped into poles while staring.

Even those who had been stunned when I first entered the library seemed to be practically drooling.

I ignored them and went straight to the room I had reserved.

As I opened the door, my eyes landed on a figure I hadn't seen in a while.

The moment she spotted me, she rose from her chair, trying to slip away.

I lifted my hand and pointed at her. "What are you doing in the library, Sylvia?"

It wasn't just that I was surprised to see her.

I was shocked she was even here.

"I thought you could never read?"

She buried her face in her book and muttered, "Shit."

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A/N:

Check for illustrations in the paragraph comment (one per chapter)